communicate their environmental policies and commitments as well as the implications of what they do. Reporting their actions effectively can be a powerful catalyst for change. The International Standard for environmental communication has just been updated to help.
From sharing ideas to restoring faith in your green commitments, clear and compelling communication about environmental issues and activities is essential to getting anything useful done. When handled well, organizations can foster trust, improve their reputation and raise awareness of important environmental challenges in a way that can lead to real and lasting change. What’s more, it helps when demonstrating compliance to national and international regulations and in environmental reporting.
ISO 14063, Environmental management – Environmental communication – Guidelines and examples, gives guidance on the principles, strategies and activities related to environmental communication using internationally agreed best practices. It has just been updated to harmonize with other International Standards in the field, offering additional guidance and new features.
Dr John Shideler, Chair of the ISO committee of experts that developed the standard, said environmental communication is not just about sharing information. It should reflect an organization’s values and can have a powerful influence over how it is perceived and what gets done.
“There is an increasing need for organizations to be transparent about their environmental impact, demonstrate that they are committed to the cause and engage with their stakeholders about that,” he said.
“This standard provides a solid basis for developing environmental communications strategies and policies so that organizations can talk about their activities and facilitate dialogue in a clear and effective way.”
ISO 14063 was developed by technical committee ISO/TC 207, Environmental management, subcommittee SC 4, Environmental performance evaluation, the secretariat of which is held by ANSI, ISO’s member for the USA. It is available from your national ISO member or through the ISO Store.
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